Minimum Criteria and Interpretive Guidance
The National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Education and Training Program (WETP) began the task of updating the Minimum Criteria/Interpretive Guidance through a National Technical Workshop held March 31-April 1, 2005. The Update was approached in the traditional WETP workshop manner through the development of a draft strawman document that served as the launching point for the workshop. In preparing the draft strawman document, WETP formed a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) composed of representatives from each of the current WETP grant awardees. The TAC provided guidance to National Clearinghouse technical staff members Donald Elisburg and John Moran, as they wrote the draft strawman document. The original "Minimum Criteria for Worker Health and Safety Training for Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response" was published in December 1991 Subsequently, WETP published "Interpretive Guidance" to the Minimum Criteria in April 1994. Much has changed in the decade following the latter document. For instance, the issue of computer-based training was not addressed, nor was the training of workers to deal with the aftermath of terrorist actions. The hope is that the final guidance produced through this effort proves valuable to all federal agencies funding or conducting worker training.
The final version of the Minimum Criteria document, as well as documents used by the Technical Advisory Committee to conduct its work, are below:
- Final Version of the Minimum Health and Safety Training Criteria: Guidance for Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER)Supporting and All-Hazards Disaster Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (1.3MB)
2006. 59 pages. This document is based upon a National Technical Workshop sponsored by NIEHS WETP conducted on March 30-April 1, 2005 in Los Angeles, CA. This workshop was conducted to update the "Minimum Criteria" guidance, which has served as the primary quality control foundation for the Worker Education and Training Program for the past eighteen years. - 1994 Interpretive Guidance to the Minimum Criteria (441KB)
2004. 241 pages. The purpose of this technical workshop is to develop guidance that will enhance the use of the Minimum Criteria for Worker Health and Safety Training for Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response. - 1999 NIEHS WETP Advanced Training Technologies (ATT) Workshop: ATT poster session
What role do ATT workshops have in HAZMAT training programs? The following briefly discusses the challanges of worker training advancement through ATT. - 1999 NIEHS WETP ATT Workshop: ATT poster session PPT (37KB)
1999. 10 slides. NIEHS WETP ATT workshop powerpoint presentation - 1999 NIEHS WETP ATT Workshop: ATT report summary
Report summary prepared by the National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, October 1999 - Technical Advisory Committee for the Minimum Criteria Conference (26KB)
2004. 2 pages. Technical Advisory Committee for the Minimum Criteria Conference contact sheet. - Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8
December 2003. This directive establishes policies to strengthen the preparedness of the United States to prevent and respond to threatened or actual domestic terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies by requiring a national domestic all-hazards preparedness goal, establishing mechanisms for improved delivery of Federal preparedness assistance to State and local governments, and outlining actions to strengthen preparedness capabilities of Federal, State, and local entities.
